Insulating base and neutral wire connector assembly for circuit breaker panelboard

ABSTRACT

An insulating base of an electrical panelboard has a pair of spaced parallel wall portions straddling a branch neutral wire connector bar. A pair of main neutral wire connectors have connector body portions disposed respectively on the outer sides of the wall portions and mounting strap portions extending respectively through the wall portions and secured respectively to opposite end portions of the branch neutral wire connector bar.

United States Patent [191 Horwell 1451 Jan. 9, 1973 [54] INSULATING BASE AND NEUTRAL 3,171,708 3/1965 Salomone ..339/l98 N WIRE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR 2,880,263 3/,l959 Herrmann et al ..339/l98 N CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELBOARD 3,378,806 4/1968 Wilkerson et al ..339/272 R i [75] Inventor: John E. Harwell, Lexington, Ky. Primary Examiner Marvin Champion [73] Assignee: Square D Company, Park Ridge, 11]. Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Hafer [22] Filed: June 9, 1971 Attorney-Harold J. Rathbun and Paul 1. Rose 211 Appl. No.: 151,215 57 ABSTRACT An insulating base of an electrical panelboard has a [52] U.S.Cl. ..339/198N pair of spaced parallel wall portions traddling a CL branch neutral wire connector bar A pair of main [58] F'eld Search "339/198, 244, neutral wire connectors have connector body portions 339/272 217; 174/59 disposed respectively on the outer sides of the wall portions and mounting strap portions extending [56] Reerences cued respectively through the wall portions and secured UNITED STATES PATENTS respectively to opposite end portions of the branch neutral wire connector bar. 3,296,576 1/1967 Motten ..339/l76 3,609,657 9/1971 Stanback ..339/272 R 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures l2 l9 l7 19 2O 22d l 1 1 ii h :E: \:T 1 l 15 I \16 PATENTEU JAN 9 I975 INVENTOR. JOHN E. HORWELL INSULATING BASE AND NEUTRAL WIRE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELBOARD This invention relates generally to electrical panelboards or load centers, and more particularly to anim proved arrangement for securing main and branch neutral wire connectors to an insulating load center base.

Formerly neutral wire connectors were secured to an insulating base by screws threaded into the material of the base. In accordance with the present invention, fastening screws securing neutral wire connectors to an insulating base do not pass through the material of the base, and contraction of the base material has no loosening effect on electrical connections.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved means of securing main and branch neutral wire connectors to an insulating base of a circuit breaker panelboard.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent when the following specification is considered along with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an insulating base and neutral wire connector assembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the assembly of FIG. 1, a portion of the base being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main neutral wire connectorof the assembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawings, an insulating base and neutral wire connector assembly constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The assembly 10 includesan insulating base 11 and a neutral wire connector assembly 12. Two integral plugon bus bar and connector body members 13, forming no part of the present invention but described in copending application, Ser. No. 151,216, filed June 9, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,701, issued Sept. 26, 1972, are secured to the base 11.

The base 11 is more fully described in the aforementioned copending application, to which reference may be had if desired. The base 11 includes a pair of spaced parallel upstanding wall portions 15 and 16 between which is disposed a branch neutral wire connector in the form of a'bar 17 forming part of the neutral wire connector assembly 12 and constructed in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,094, issued Jan. 11, I966. The bar 17 is provided with four branch neutral wire receiving holes 18 and corresponding clamping screws 19 having snap-on generally U-shaped clamping shoes 20 as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,319, issued Feb. 4, 1969. Between a first and a second hole 18, and also between a third and a fourth hole 18, the bar 17 is provided on its underside respectively with a pair of threaded openings (not shown) for a purpose to be described.

The neutral wire connector assembly 12 also includes a pair of main neutral wire connectors 22 one of which is shown in detail in FIG. 3. Each connector 22 includes a connector body portion 22a having appropriate main neutral wire receiving holes such as a hole 22b and a hole 22c, a clamping screw 22d (FIGS. 1

and 2) threaded into a hole 22c in the bo d ortion 22a, and a mounting strap portion. 22f provi e wlth a hole 22g. The body portion 22a and mounting strap portion 22f are integrally formed from a flat strip of metal into a generally P-shaped member the loop of which is secured by a tang 22h twisted after being inserted through a slot (not shown).

The assembly 12 is secured to the base 11 by inserting the mounting strap portions 22f of the connectors 22 toward each other respectively through aligned holes (not shown) in the wall portions 15 and 16, and inserting a pair of fastening screws 24 respectively through the holes 22g from the underside of the base 11 and threading them into the threaded openings (not shown) in the underside of the bar 17. The bar 17 and connectors 22 are thus secured to the base 11 in such a manner that shrinkage of the base material can occur without causing loosening of any electrical connections.

Various modifications may be made in the structure shown and described, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. An insulating base and neutral wire connector assembly comprising an insulating base having a pair of spaced parallel wall portions, each wall portion having an opening extending therethrough and aligned with an opening in the other wall portion,'a pair of main neutral wire connectors each having a connector body portion disposed on an outer side of one of said wall portions and a mounting strap portion extending from the connector body portion through the opening in the respective wall portion toward the other main neutral wire connector, and a branch neutral wire connector bar disposed between the wall portions, having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicularly to the wall portions, having a plurality of branch neutral wire receiving holes spaced longitudinally therealong, having a corresponding plurality of clamping screws threadedly mounted therein and extending respectively into the wire receiving holes, and having spaced portions secured respectively to the mounting strap portions of the main neutral wire connectors.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim I wherein the strap portion of each main neutral wire connector is provided with a hole and the branch neutral wire connector bar is provided on its underside with a pair of spaced threaded openings respectively aligned with the holes in the strap portions, and including a pair of fastening screws extending respectively through the holes in the strap portions and! threaded into the openings in thebranch neutral wire connector bar.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mounting strap portion and connector body portion of each main neutral wire connector are integrally formed as a generally P-shaped strap member. 

1. An insulating base and neutral wire connector assembly comprising an insulating base having a pair of spaced parallel wall portions, each wall portion having an opening extending therethrough and aligned with an opening in the other wall portion, a pair of main neutral wire connectors each having a connector body portion disposed on an outer side of one of said wall portions and a mounting strap portion extending from the connector body portion through the opening in the respective wall portion toward the other main neutral wire connector, and a branch neutral wire connector bar disposed between the wall portions, having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicularly to the wall portions, having a plurality of branch neutral wire receiving holes spaced longitudinally therealong, having a corresponding plurality of clamping screws threadedly mounted therein and extending respectively into the wire receiving holes, and having spaced portions secured respectively to the mounting strap portions of the main neutral wire connectors.
 2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strap portion of each main neutral wire connector is provided with a hole and the branch neutral wire connector bar is provided on its underside with a pair of spaced threaded openings respectively aligned with the holes in the strap portions, and including a pair of fastening screws extending respectively through the holes in the strap portions and threaded into the openings in the branch neutral wire connector bar.
 3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mounting strap portion and connector body portion of each main neutral wire connector are integrally formed as a generally P-shaped strap member. 